Dealing with Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)

[Miss Mae]

I have always wanted to do something. I just cannot tell what it is and how it should be exactly. So for years I contented myself with knowing that I intend to do something for the Philippine society anyway. I just have to realize it.

I finally did so four years ago.

The Philippines has 942,098 persons with disabilities--473,332 of these were women and 468,766 were men. But these figures were based on a population count more than a decade before. They were cited by administrator Carmelita Ericta of the National Statistics Office during the 5th Annual Meeting of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics.

Low vision is the most common disability in the country since 1995. The World Health Organization, however, said that ‘the most common disabilities are associated with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes; injuries, such as those due to road traffic crashes, falls, landmines and violence; mental illness; malnutrition; HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.’ Worldwide, it is clinical depression.

Half of the PWDs in the Philippines are old people (60 years and over). The other half are below 49 years old. This could only mean that one in 20 households in the Philippines has at least one member with disability. Majority of them, however, remain confident that they could still work. In fact, one in three PWDs actually heads a household. Literacy rate among male PWDs was 70% and female PWDs 69%.

So while it is true that there are administrative orders favoring PWDs in the Philippines, there is no current information that can tell how many of them are benefiting from these regulations (or if they are benefiting, indeed). So while a number of organizations designed themselves to support PWDs, there is still a lack of awareness of the ‘social problem’ physical disability has come to be. So while there are freebies and donations to PWDs, not too many are willing to give the latter a chance to prove their worth.

For instance is the act enacted to facilitate mobility of PWDs. Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 has been approved five administrations ago but not all public establishments heeded. A budget airline recently disallowed a ‘special’ child to get inside its craft. The 2000 Census counted some 57% PWDs who holds a job because they can put up their own business, while 30% working in the agricultural sector.

Special education should be integrated in all levels of schools in the Philippines.

“Equality is rooted not merely on charity or accommodation, but on justice for all.”
~ Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban

Source:
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/sr05150tx.html
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/concept_note_2010.pdf
http://global.goodwill.org/countries/philippines/

[Miss Mae]

We could start by learning sign language.

Ludwig Wittgenstein may have meant something more philosophical when he wrote “The limits of my language are the limits of my mind,” but it could also explain why not too many of us can deal with PWDs comfortably.

Few only can speak sign language. Thus, few only can appreciate a discussion with PWDs and believe them.

To my mind, PWDs are labeled as such to remind Filipinos that they are apart from their condition. Those ‘little boxes’ some television networks display during certain programs are not enough to enable PWDs participate in a discussion with anyone other than their family. Feedback is part of the picture, right?

[Miss Mae]

I could have been insensitive to those who already care for PWDs.

Before I shared here in the Forum what I wanted to be acted upon, the Department of Education (DepEd) had issued Braille¹ textbooks to help visually impaired children. Also, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had ordered all local chief executives (LCEs) to establish health desks manned by rural health officers (RHOs).

In the current administration, DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo has tasked all governors and municipal mayors to create a Person with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO). Every PDAO should coordinate and implement the provisions of Republic Act 10070² and of Batas Pambansa 344³, gather statistics and relevant data on PWDs, disseminate information on programs and activities for PWDs, and create employment for PWDS. Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy of the Bagong Henerasyon Partylist also proposed to include sign language studies in the elementary education curriculum.

Last summer, through a memorandum by DepEd-Baguio, public school teachers in Ifugao studied sign language along with the LINK Center for the Deaf and the Boeing Global Corporate Citizenship.

Then again, DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo—his father became blind at 4 when he was stricken with a rare eye ailment, and three of his (Jessie Robredo's) siblings are also blind because visual impairment runs in the family—addressed the launching of the “Fully Abled Nation,” a program seeking to increase the participation of PWDs in the coming 2013 Philippine midterm elections. The Philippine Association for Citizens with Developmental and Learning Disabilities, Inc. (PACDLD) contributed to the celebration of the 34th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week, and so with the Department of Health-National Capital Region (DOH-NCR), Motorcycle Philippines Federation, Land Transportation Office (LTO), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Commission on Elections (Comelec), Alyansa ng may Kapansanang Pinoy (AKAP-Pinoy), Department of Labor and Employment-National Reintegration Center for OFWs (DOLE-NRCO), and the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC).

But bills are not laws and initiatives need follow up. For instance, most of the textbooks that would enable blind and partially sighted people to read and write through touch are actually just unwanted titles from libraries overseas. They cannot be produced locally and are not translated into Filipino. There was also an LGU⁴ that had shut down a school for deaf children. When asked why, a representative from the DepEd reasoned that it does not like “(to waste) their resources just to accommodate a few.”

Sign language should be learned by everyone; this way, the 4 million hearing-impaired (HI) Filipinos can benefit by being understood by anyone. Also, according to an SWS survey, among of the reasons why only 54% of the PWDs participated in the 2010 elections and only 22% of PWDs of voting age bothered to register was that nobody can shade or read the ballots for them.

The total of Filipinos with disabilities was estimated at 7.5 million by the World Health Organization (WHO) way back in 2000—a very substantial constituency that sorely needs our help. Let us do something for them.

“Sad to say, support for special education centers rests fully on the whims of the local government units.”—Jojo I. Esposa Jr., a registered sign language interpreter and author of Basic Web Accessibility Guide for Filipinos.

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¹A writing system that consists of patterns of raised dots representing letters, numerals or punctuation marks. It was invented by Louis Braille (1809-1852), who was blind and became a teacher of the blind.
²Magna Carta for Disabled Persons
³Accessibility Law
⁴The city is a first-class and highly urbanized area with 17 public elementary schools and 9 public high schools.

Sources:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/braille.htm
http://deafphilippines.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/deped-to-strengthen-special-education/
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=141329796723
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/344440/sign-language-curriculum-urged
http://www.ncda.gov.ph/2012/03/the-philippine-nation-observes-world-autism-awareness-day/
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/127-healthnews/26218-the-state-of-the-nations-health
http://www.ncda.gov.ph/2012/05/dilg-secretary-robredo-keynotes-the-launching-of-the-fully-abled-nation/
http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/Us_Eu/conf/z19/z19001/z1900104.html

[Miss Mae]

Something happened within the last two months that could change the fate of PWDs in the Philippines forever.

Jesse “Pogi” Manalastas Robredo died.

He was the one who mandated a person with disability affairs office (PDAO) in every city. This office would update the national and local government agencies on what the PWDs really need, as well as engage non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) in implementing related laws and policies on disability.

He also was the one who encouraged PWDs to register in the coming midterm elections. Only about 742,000 PWDs had done so (Comelec 2012 data) even though Article V, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution already guarantees a "procedure for the disabled and the illiterates to vote without the assistance of other persons.” There are nearly 9 million PWDs in the Philippines to date, 3.6 million of which are qualified to vote (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting).

Will his successor, Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd, share the same passion of empowering PWDs, too? PNoy only expected him to “promote transparency in the financial records of local government units, tighten security on jails, and improve the country's fight against terrorists and other lawless elements,” after all.

Also, the only time the newly appointed DILG secretary got reportedly involved with PWDs was when a blogger from Cebu asked him to look into “Cebu Pacific’s discrimination issue.” The manager of the airline told ten deaf passengers, mostly foreigners, “to get out from their seats.”

The international community had regarded Sec. Roxas as "one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs." He had been "one of the global leaders of tomorrow who is expected to shape the future" also. Hopefully, his recent recognition as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow in Singapore would inspire him to work more for PWDs.

"Change should begin from within.”
–Lea Salonga-Chien, OLD, a Filipino soprano singer and actress

[Miss Mae]

Is there a reason to celebrate the “International Day of Disabled Persons” today?

The United States, which has currently the largest economy in the world, has the Health and Human Services Office on Disability (OD) that oversees the programs and policies on the health and well-being of PWDs whatever their age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and educational attainment may be. It was created last November 2002 when approximately 51.2 million Americans are living with at least one disability.

Its Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also amended the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against PWDs in all matters of employment. Other federal agencies coordinating for the implementation of the ADA are the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Civil Rights Center, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Transportation, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Justice, and Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB).

Meanwhile, Bhutan, which is one of the countries with the smallest and least developed economy, has ‘very little data’ on the prevalence and types of disabilities there. The latest count of the Population and Housing Census was last 2005 where some 21,894 PWDs (or 3.5 per cent of the population) were recorded.

Bhutanese society is ‘generally sympathetic and compassionate’ to PWDs. Even members of the extended families would serve the basic needs of the PWDs among them.

But the United States gives leeway to private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions if being fair to PWDs imposes “undue hardship” on them. “Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as an employer’s size, financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.”

But Bhutan has only one school for the blind, two integrated pilot schools for the deaf, and one vocational school for children with disabilities. Their family structure is changing; those living in the rural areas are migrating; and ‘the gap remains wide in both knowledge and understanding among Bhutanese of relevant disability issues.’ As a result, PWDs there have to fend for themselves and compete in the job market at the same time.

In the Philippines, which has an economy that grew 5.9% in the second quarter of 2012, healthcare workers are being trained on basic sign language. Regional director Dr. Eduardo Janairo of DoH-NCR happened to believe that communication is vital in delivering healthcare services.

To date, only 45 countries have anti-discrimination and other disability-specific laws.

"The key to language learning is the linguistic environment.”
--General Phoebe, a female Chinese general

[Miss Mae]

This month of love, let’s find out how the world loves the PWDs living in it.

Aside from putting up trust funds and award ceremonies for PWDs, some countries—with either large or small economies—have worked on helping PWDs prove their worth. The United States has just conducted two surveys to find out how PWDs can benefit from wireless technology. Corporate leaders, both from Lakeland Bank and Eastern Propane, have also worked with the Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) Columbus House and Wiegand Farm to support PWDs as well as their families.

South Africa and Singapore have intended to have at least 2% PWDs in each workplace in their country. In Slovenia, most PWDs have worked in manufacturing industries, administrative and support service activities, and wholesale and retail trade.

West Africa and Australia have wanted more PWDs to participate during an election. Israel has promised to provide PWDs accessible devices in libraries, museums, movie theaters, bed and breakfast accommodations, dressing rooms in clothing stores and at automatic food dispensers over the next 5 years.

Lesser Antilles has pursued partnerships with local, regional and international agencies to educate non-PWDs. Pakistan has aimed for the same, instituting colleges admitting PWDs in Islamabad. The British High Commission and the British Council has launched a job portal for “the most marginalized group in Pakistan.”

Canada has supported PWDs especially its youth in Yarmouth, Shelburne and Clare. Hong Kong has started a project where PWDs were able to sell the products they themselves made. The United Arab Emirates has encouraged nurseries to let children with special needs enroll in them.

The United Nations Development and Human Rights for All program has estimated that 15% in the world lives with some form of disability, making them the “world’s largest minority.” But what the countries mentioned above have done were not enough to make them totally PWD-friendly. The United States, for one, has rejected the U.N. treaty on rights for persons with disabilities.

The treaty could pose a threat to American sovereignty, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has said. There are "cumbersome regulations and potentially overzealous international organizations with anti-American biases that infringe upon American society," according to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Other critics have reasoned that the treaty could prevent home-schooling parents from making their own decisions how to handle their children with disabilities.

“A barrier-free environment should be introduced everywhere.” –Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia

[devannynlevi]

PWD need all the help they can get to have a better life.

[Miss Mae]

It’s Fool’s Day. But unlike our ancestors who can joke around during this day, the PWDs cannot play down with their condition.

A disability—physical or mental—can hinder or incapacitate. It can interfere with or prevent normal achievement in a particular area. In law, it is tantamount to disqualification. PWDs, then, are at a disadvantage since men and women are social and political beings.

In the Philippines, there are 7.5 million PWDs. That count, though, was only estimated by the World Health Organization last 2000, assuming some form of disability in every 10% of a country’s population. This means there are already 10 million PWDs in the country last 2011! (There were 101,833,900 Filipinos in the country that year.)

But only P33.3 billion was allocated to the health department to finance all its major programs and projects that year. It “scrimped on allocations for public tertiary education and hospitals, as well as for agriculture and vital public infrastructure,” according to Senator Pia Cayetano, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

Should I also discuss how the proposed 2013 budget was criticized to be an “election budget”?

Dealing with PWDs would not solve that anyway. But doing so could make us conclude why learning sign language is necessary, beneficial, and practicable even for those who do not have disabilities. Everyone has the right to live, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights said.

Sign language is necessary. In Article XIII, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, it is stated that “the Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the common good.” Learning sign language then could help promote social justice that the succeeding section in that article calls for.

Sign language is beneficial. There are 36 PWD organizations listed in the directory of the National Council on Disability Affairs to date. Each of them aims to help PWDs in their living, providing seminars and workshops on one hand, and giving wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids on the other. Some also would conduct free medical and dental services, administer centers and schools advocating PWD rights, and train deaf high school graduates in computer technology. Still, there are people unwilling to give PWDs a chance to prove their worth. Learning sign language then could instill awareness of the “social problem” physical disability has come to be.

Sign language is practicable. There are 650 million PWDs in the world, 49.7 million of which resides in the United States (US Census Bureau, 2000). That means nearly 20% percent of the country with the largest economy in the world to date! Bhutan, on the other hand, has 21,894 PWDs (Population and Housing Census of Bhutan) or 3.4% of the total population of the country with a small and least developed economy. Learning sign language then could lead to a PWD-friendly culture that would make the Philippines appealing to every local or foreign PWD in the cheapest way possible.

Importante kini siya because it's like building up an environment in such a way na ang atong palibot walay sabod. Kita tanan, ma bata ta matiguwang, masakit, at different life stages of our existence, magkinahanglan jud ta social infrastructure na di ta maglisud.”
~Adela Avila-Kono, 2008 Apolinario Mabini Outstanding Woman with Disability Awardee

[Miss Mae]

Thank you for taking time to reply, devannynlevi.

You're right: PWDs need all the help they can get to have a better life. And what better way to do that than learning sign language?

[Mwita Chacha]

I desire to have a PWD as my wife, but the problem is that there are very few of them who seem to have the same level of education as I have. My worry is that if I play that factor down and go ahead and tie knotty with any disabled woman regardless of her education status, there's a risk of her life becoming overshadowed by that of mine. I want to have a partner who'll feel free to express his feelings to me in the same way as I will.

[Due to a technical problem, the reply below by Miss Mae to this posting was inadvertently deleted. I am therefore reposting the reply verbatim--Joe Carillo]

A disabled woman is different from a woman with a disability, Mwita Chacha.

Calling a woman disabled denotes disability to the whole being of that woman. But describing her as someone with a disability implies ‘possession of a particular disability’ only. This was what I had understood when Jose Carillo explained to me why the lawmakers in the Philippines bothered to distinguish 'disabled persons' from 'persons with disabilities' in the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

Most women with disabilities in Tanzania have studied primary school. But only few have studied in colleges or universities because, as a research found out, (1) students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities cannot really study, (2) there is negative attitude towards letting a woman finish her education in your country, (3) parents of women with disabilities are overprotective, (4) there is lack of conducive environment or facilities for women with disabilities, and (5) there is no one to look up to.

This is one of the reasons why learning sign language is necessary, beneficial, and practicable even for non-PWDs. Sign language could facilitate access to literacy that the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania maintains. It could address the “social problem” physical disability has come to be, particularly for the women, in your country. And, lastly, it could boost more appreciation in Tanzania once it develops a PWD-friendly culture.

The best way to understand the literacy needs of people with disabilities is to listen. Listening to individuals with disabilities, as well as organizations that represent them can help everyone to understand the relationship between literacy and disabilities.
~Literacy and Disabilities (a paper by the Movement for Candaian Literacy)

[Phytoceramides123]

Every person that feels good, without experiencing any difficulties can consider as healthy. But of course being healthy is not just that you have to make sure every part of your body is working well.